Episodic Thoughts: Ghetto Justice (Episode 15)

Ghetto Justice <怒火街頭>
TVB Series 2011

Cast: Kevin Cheng, Myolie Wu, Sharon Chan, Sam Lee, Eddie Kwan, Mandy Wong, Jazz Lam, Joyce Tang, Shek Shau, and others.

EPISODE 15

Remarks : This is a watch-as-I-write-from-memory episodic thought (a combination of episode summaries, reviews & critical analysis episode per episode) and therefore please take note that this write-up will contain MAJOR SPOILERS for this particular episode and some creative license was used when recreating certain scenes or dialogue. Please refrain from revealing future SPOILERS in this episode.

The Prosecutor vs Yeung Kok Kui
The case : The murder of Miu Yeuk Lai, wife of the accused
Counsel for the state : The prosecutor, Kris Wong (Lead counsel), Nameless (Mrs Ma’s case prosecutor as assistant), Law Ba (Advisor)
Defense : Cheung Pak Kei (Lead counsel), Victor Ching Pok Him (assistant)

I wonder why prosecution bothered with asking Kris to do this case when next to her is the ultra experienced looking prosecutor from Mrs Ma’s case, another ultra high profile case. Why? WHY? I can say honestly that there is a closure for this case in tonight’s episode and up until now, I dare declare this is the stupidest case in the entire series and if another case can top this, then clearly someone is so jealous of Law Ba that they just wanna do him in by making this series go towards Stupid Legal Questions Land.

But first, the recap and I apologise if it is insufferable to read because this was insufferable to recap due to the many insufferable stupid legal questions that are just…. you know the drill…

STUPID.

Recap in a very short way which I can do.

Kris felt stupid next to PK who destroyed her witnesses and her way of handling the case. She called the uncle next door who saw Yeung pushing Lai’s head into the water and PK destroyed his testimony by making as if Yeung was SAVING his wife from drowning. The fact that he saw passports and plane tickets were not emphasised by Kris. The kid was never called as witness. Kris now panicking and wondered why didn’t they put the kid on stand and I was like Kris, what do you want the kid to say? My daddy killed my mommy? He is already half an orphan! Panicking but Law Ba managed to calm her down to play a game of ping pong and it was Mrs Leung’s turn to panic since she needs to get home early and not do another round of OT! When she was going back, released early by the ping pong duo she saw George also working late. She made them supper and then left. George saw 2 heart shaped fried eggs (can you make eggs using microwave???), happily ate them and ran after Mrs Leung, calling “Ting Ting! Ting Ting!” and took her home. On the way Mrs Leung said she made those eggs for the duo, hoping they will confess their love for one another at last and George knew he ate them by mistake and Mrs Leung actually made him an ordinary sandwich so he gulped his mistake and said no more. Mrs Leung said “You know just now I heard someone called Ting Ting. For a moment I thought someone called me but then I have never been known as Ting Ting. That was scary!” and George gulped some more. At the centre George made 2 heart shape sandwiches for the duo who knew he liked Mrs Leung and said he had good taste in choosing Mrs Leung and even said “She has separated 2 years from her husband. She can file for divorce!” but George didn’t think he has any right to ask Mrs Leung to do so, and angrily left when teased mercilessly by the duo who then went back to teasing one another. Trial continues and lo and behold, Yeung on the stand and confessed he did go into Lai’s house by swinging from the other building, begged her to come home, argued, then left. It was 1 day before she died. Kris found a witness who was painting tables on the rooftop to say that the paint was only present there on the day Lai died. So Yeung again went to witness box and confessed he lied, it was that day Lai died, he was upset, he drank a lot and ate pills and fainted and woke up and she died. Kris exposed him as a 3 time liar; once when asked by police, twice at the trial so why should the jury believe him this time? When was he telling the truth? Good point Kris!

So… what PK is saying is he did climb in, he did kill, he forgot, he was automaton sort of defence so it is not murder but at best manslaughter. He even persuaded the unlicensed doctor who pumped Yeung’s stomach to testify and he is credible because he has everything to lose being unlicensed, no one will go to him again once he is exposed and he wasn’t lying. Yeung did go to him, drunken, hallucinating, etc. So what Yeung said was backed up by an alibi. Kris couldn’t destroy the witness at all. Some expert testified automaton is possible under that situation.

Pause here.

Kris, why didn’t you ask him can he pinpoint when he took the pills? Before he killed Lai so he was driven to kill by the pills or after he killed Lai which means it was a calculated move?

Continue.

Summation. All Kris could say was Lai deserves justice, Yeung a liar, give justice to Lai. PK did a better summation by stressing yes he lied, yes he lied many times but he was scared, worried for his half an orphan kid, he can’t remember killing, he didn’t mean it, does not justify murder.

Verdict. Not guilty of murder but of manslaughter. Kris didn’t look too happy, Law Ba was smiling because I think he knew what was happening, or maybe not and PK looked.. emotionless. On his way to his car, Victor congratulated his sifu who said there is nothing to be happy about and we see flashback:

That bastard did climb into Lai’s place, she wasn’t home, he looked through her stuff, saw Mai Bo’s pic, tore the diary and the picture, Lai came home, he begged her to go home with him, she insisted on divorce, he calmed down, asked for a drink, she gave him, they sat down, before that he put some stuff into her drink, she became weakened, he grabbed her cheeks and forced her to take pills and drink alcohol as he said “DIVORCE? YOU WANT DIVORCE? TAKE THIS YOU BITCH!! NAH!! HERE IS YOUR DIVORCE!!!” and he carried her to her bed where she died. He called PK who was driving home and Pk said.. “Hi! Thanks to your advice, I earned lots in the shares!” and Yeung said “Spencer, I killed my wife” and PK shocked momentarily said “You mean you THINK you killed your wife?” and Yeung began to understand the significance and said “Yes I think I killed my wife” and Spencer said “What happened?” and he explained and PK said “You mean you were so upset you drank alcohol and took pills and then you can’t remember what happened, you woke up and she is dead?” and Yeung said “Yes, yes that was what happened. What should I do now?” and OK said “Go to a doctor, pump your stomach, go to an unlicensed doctor if you want less publicity” and Yeung said “How should I leave?” and Pk said “You leave from where you came in, call me when you have gone to a doctor”. So he left by climbing out.

Victor said admirably “Sir, that was a brilliant move. I wonder what would happened if he came to me first?!” and PK said “You? He would have been convicted of murder and will be spending the rest of his life in prison.”

Next episode; new case, but more importantly, why did PK knocked Jing Jing unconcious?!

I understand this story is trying to be different that we know in the end PK expected manslaughter, he planned the entire defence, all Kris had to do was to show up and do a credible job. He knew Yeung was guilty as hell, but he only required a lesser sentence than murder. But it was so stupid! Kris could have won this case when he confessed he killed his wife. Because who was to know he took pills before or after the murder. What everyone knew was the wife left him, she was beaten, she had planned to leave with her son, he lied again and again and again. The juries buy his defence of automaton or something like that, but that is because Kris did a poor job at prosecuting. Why didn’t she emphasise on the passports and plane tickets? Why didn’t she emphasise on the doubt as to when he took the pills, the fact that he can still drive to see the doctor after meant he took the pills not too long ago? Why didn’t she emphasise he confessed, he has motive and more importantly, yes she said he lied 3 times but she should have emphasised more! I thought it was such a stupid case. The end was like a stroke of brilliance you say? Of course not! PK would never have told Victor all that; being such a careful man, will a careful man go and blah out he basically did something that is illegal? No of course not! Stupid case. And poor Miu Yeuk Lai. No justice in the end since that abusive murderous dreadful husband will be out in a few years and imagine the kid growing up with such a father. No news on Mai Bo and his fate; was he at least charged with perverting the course of justice? And will we ever see an appeal case? I mean this case deserved to be appealed by the prosecutor. Bastard husband!

Performance wise, Shek Sau looks anal retentive if there is such a word. Does he ever smile? He sounds like he talks whilst biting down his tongue.

Myolie Wu still talks like a bullet train during those cross examination scenes and frankly I find her an unconvincing trial lawyer. As for her other scenes, no comment.

Everybody else, normal except a shout out to Jazz Lam for being utterly cute in the way he called out Ting Ting! Ting Ting! Poor guy needs a girlfriend. And also to Nameless that is Kwong Chor Fai for looking every inch the prosecutor with his reaction, the way he sat, etc and let him speak and he probably could have made this case a murder case instead of manslaughter!

This Episodic Thoughts was written by Funn Lim, a Contributing Writer at JayneStars.com, and was originally posted at Point2e.com.

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